


Mercury Saga, Part IV: Into the Light

by CaiyaAmatista



Series: Mercury Saga [4]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Amputation, Avengers Family, Betrayal, Bionic Limbs, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Bucky Barnes's Notebooks, Bucky/Emma, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Family Member Death, Family Secrets, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapping, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-HYDRA Reveal, Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Project Insight (Marvel), Protective Avengers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Secrets Revealed, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Super Soldier Serum, Superheroes, Suspense, Tony Stark Has Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:23:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaiyaAmatista/pseuds/CaiyaAmatista
Summary: Some secrets aren't meant to remain in darkness forever, as Kim is about to find out the hard way. As Bucky continues to improve over time, her determination to protect her uncle may end up doing more harm than good, especially in regards to her own safety. Not even the Avengers themselves may be able to protect her from the insidious plans that others have in store for her...





	1. Prologue: Submission

_~Undisclosed Location, Siberia, January 4, 1992~_

"General Karpov."

Karpov looked up from his paperwork as the chief of his medical staff entered his office, his white lab coat billowing behind him as he walked with purpose in his step. Setting his pencil down, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, clasping his hands in front of him. "Report."

"Prognosis negative, Sir."

" _Proklyat'ye!"_ His loud curse echoed off the metal walls as he slammed his fist down, shoving his chair back as he stood. "What were your findings?"

Unfazed, the doctor opened the folder in his hands. "Significant inflammation to the ACC in all cases," he pulled forth an MRI scan from inside, showing it to Karpov as he came around to his side. "It is one of the key sectors of the brain that manages impulse control, as well as certain emotional reactions. But with the implementation of the serum, that sector has increased to four times its normal size, which would explain the sudden shift to disobedience and psychosis in each subject. Now, compare that to the readings on Barnes' brain in the exact same region…" He pulled out a second MRI scan for him to see.

Karpov exhaled audibly through his nose, taking both scans and looking closely at the areas that had been circled with red wax. "And there is no way to reverse these effects on the Squad?"

"None, Sir. The results are permanent." Karpov cursed again, then slowly began pacing around the room. "In terms of physical transformation, the serum was a complete success; psychologically, however, it was a failure. It will not produce the level of compliance you are seeking from your potential soldiers."

Karpov continued to pace, staring between the two scans he held in his hands. Though he attempted to maintain a stoic appearance, his agitation was quite obvious, based on the hunch of his shoulders and the tension he held in his upper lip. "The modifications to Zola's serum had supposedly been perfected."

"Supposedly, but apparently not, Sir."

"Apparently not," he repeated, muttering something unintelligible about Stark under his breath. Pausing in his step, he angled his head back at him. "Recommendations, Dr. Ovechkin?"

The two men talked quietly, though terms like "geneticist" and "formula" and "phenotypic alteration" occasionally cut clearly through the muffled conversation. At one point, Karpov glanced over at the doorway, seeing three doctors from Ovechkin's team as they awaited further orders. They didn't appear to be nearly as old their chief.

"It can be properly adjusted, then?"

"Give us time, and we will produce the results."

"Make sure you do," Karpov warned, turning back to the doctor. "You put your top genetic engineers on this, and make sure they leave nothing to chance. It must be effective on all levels this time."

Ovechkin nodded taking back the scans that Karpov handed him. "Understood."

"And the Death Squad?"

"All subjects successfully sustained in cryofreeze, Sir."

He gave a nod. "Keep them as such. If a permanent solution to the psychological effects can be found, they may prove to be of use to us yet, but until then, they are to be desginated as unstable and completely dangerous." Then Karpov turned to the lone soldier who'd been standing in silent vigil beside his desk the entire time. "And that means your services are no longer needed at this time, Soldier."

The Winter Soldier didn't move, didn't even blink. Just stood by obediently and stared straight ahead at his General, the man he'd been assigned to protect. _Services are no longer needed._ He knew what that meant: sleep. Deep sleep. Embraced by the darkness until HYDRA had need for him once again. At least, that's what his mind told him now that his missions were complete…despite the scream of protest that seemed to continuously linger in the deepest recesses of his heart…

Clenching his teeth against the thought, his eyes remained focused on Karpov, and the only response his mouth was able to form was, "Understood."

A sharp pain tore through his back, causing him to cry out as his knees buckled beneath him, and arms seized him before he hit the cold cement floor. It'd been enough to immobilize him, but not completely anesthetize him, and he felt himself being dragged away as the world around him became hazy.

Deep sleep, his mind kept repeating, his head starting to feel like a heavy weight. Deep sleep until…until I'm needed again. For my mission. The mission is what matters, and the Winter Soldier must complete his missions, no matter what the cost. For HYDRA. For honor…

The dim lights of the long corridor were too bright, stinging his eyes and making him wince as the air around them gradually became cooler. _No_ , his mind wheezed as he shied away from the ruthless light. Please stop…

The air was growing even colder. Colder.

Somehow, he found the strength to clench his hands—one flesh, the other metal—into fists. Deep sleep, he told himself as they rounded a corner and entered a vast chamber. His hair fell across his face as he forced his head up, his eyes registering the amber glow of multiple containment tubes within. Only one of them was unoccupied.

Sleep, he told himself, his eyes closing as his head fell forward once more. Sleep…

_TBC..._


	2. Big Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for the wait, but I never like to publish anything I'm not genuinely satisfied with, and this chapter required at least seven or eight re-writes before I finally got to that point.
> 
> Skylar Winchester and Kayla: I thank you.

_~Columbus, GA, May 25, 2015~_

The storage facility had the same sloping, green-colored roof as the adjacent art museum, making it appear as though it had been built at the same time as the rest of the campus. According to the curator, though, the museum itself had been erected in 1953, while this particular structure hadn't been added until 1987, following a generous donation from a wealthy, private patron. A more critical mind, however, would have questioned the need for such a separate space when the museum's basement vaults were sufficient enough for storage purposes. Such deception had been characteristic of every HYDRA location they'd uncovered over the past year.

From his vantage point on the rooftop, Steve had an impressive view of the city to the south, but the sight of the urban skyline was hardly enough to hold his attention. Instead, he found himself staring raptly at the image he currently had displayed on his phone: a shot of him and Kim from two years ago, when he'd given her an impromptu piggyback ride at her playful request. At the time, she'd been wearing her standard prosthetic model—a skinnier, less accommodating piece than what she had now—and she thought it would make her too cumbersome to lift in that manner. But he quickly proved otherwise when he'd hoisted her up without hesitation, and God, he remembered _feeling_ the way she'd smiled against him as she hugged her arms around his neck. Rebecca had been the one to take the photo for him, and he'd kept it as the wallpaper on his iPhone ever since.

Kim, he whispered to himself. His best friend's great-niece, and the young woman he'd been proud to call his little sister for the past four years. Since his revival, she'd become one of the few people who helped him stay grounded in some semblance of normalcy, even after being involved in the most treacherous of encounters with the Avengers. She was his family; his friend; someone he considered one of his closest confidantes without a second thought. He felt blessed to have her be a part of his life.

That was why he'd been so damn worried about her lately, especially with everything that had taken place over the past few weeks. With the discovery that HYDRA was still an active organization, it was revealed that Stark had initially outfitted Kim's REBECCA prosthetic with a homing device, one that was linked to his personal network at _Stark Industries_. It was intended it to be used as a safety precaution in case he ever needed to keep tabs on her, a measure she had previously agreed to.

However, it had become an unexpected source of panic for both him and Stark in the days following the awakening of Ultron—the sentient artificial intelligence that Stark had uploaded into his global defense network—and his infiltration of computer systems and databases worldwide. Stark realized that this potentially included the exposure of his files on Project Mercury, and Kim's subsequent involvement with that research. Fearing Ultron would somehow gain control of her prosthesis and cause her harm, Stark had placed an urgent call to Kim at the beginning of the month, insisting that she immediately remove REBECCA and downgrade to her previous model until further notice. To Steve's relief, Kim had obliged without hesitation, but it had been enough to keep him on-edge until they could guarantee that she was absolutely out of danger.

That guarantee had unfortunately come at a terrible price. The destruction of Sokovia's capital city had, ironically, ensured the safety of the world, but it was a bittersweet victory on many fronts. The city had made up nearly two-thirds of the entire fledgling nation, which meant that thousands of Sokovians had lost their home, while many others had lost their lives. One hundred seventy-seven lives, to be exact…including the death of one of their newest allies in the fight against Ultron: Pietro Maximoff. Even now, the memories of that boy weighed heavily on his mind. Though he'd been misguided at first, Pietro ultimately proved that he had a good heart, leading him not only to protect others at all costs, but also to lose his life in an act of self-sacrifice. He was just a kid, only about a year older than Kim was now, and that was what struck him hardest.

Just a kid. Even at nineteen, Kim was still just a kid to him.

He couldn't even begin to describe the peace that overcame him when he'd finally gotten in touch with her again. Thanks to the miracle of Skype, he not only got to hear her, but _see_ her as well, and it did him a world of wonder to simply watch her smile warmly at him; to listen to the low tone of her voice; to know that she really _was_ okay. To be assured that, despite her continuous adjustment to life after Rebecca's death, Kim wasn't allowing the darkness of her past to completely encompass her heart, especially since his duties had kept him away since last summer.

At the same time, however…

Releasing a sigh through his nose, Steve lifted his eyes at last, taking in the vacillating rooftops of the buildings in the distance. In spite of everything she'd done to reassure his heart and mind…he couldn't help but feel that somehow he and Kim had drifted apart over the past few months. He hated to entertain such a thought, but it was true. Though he'd done his best to keep in touch since her grandmother's funeral, he couldn't deny how _different_ things seemed between them as of late. Their conversations had been quite limited compared to when she first came into his life, and deep down, that bothered him more than he wanted to admit. When they did speak, things just seemed so…succinct. Even rushed at times, as if she wanted to end their exchanges as quickly as possible. Was it possible that his prolonged absence was causing her to become more withdrawn from him? He clenched his teeth against the thought. He prayed that wasn't the case, but until he got a chance to see her again in-person, nothing could be certain.

_I really miss you, Steve._

His nostrils flared as he exhaled, recalling those exact words to him during their last conversation. Her words. I miss you too, Kim, he thought silently. How he did miss her after all this time. How he wished he'd gotten a chance to at least see her at Christmas time…or for her birthday back in March…

It's something I'll have to fix, he vowed to himself as he pocketed his phone. And soon.

"Might have something here, Cap," Sam's voice announced in his earpiece. "Nothing concrete on Barnes, but it might give us our best lead on another potential HYDRA cell."

Though he felt a small twinge of disappointment, the news wasn't entirely unexpected, and Steve was already turning on his heel as he responded, "On my way."

Heading toward the service access entry, he took a hold of the knob and easily wrenched the heavy door open, hearing it _creeeeeak_ slowly shut behind him as he descended the narrow stairs. When he wasn't fighting alongside the Avengers, his search for Bucky continued to be the top priority in his mind, a journey that had taken him and Sam to seven different HYDRA locations across three continents. A cryogenics lab in the mountains of British Colombia; a recruiting and training center near an arena in Buenos Aires; a weapons vault on the desert outskirts of Phoenix, just to name a few. All containing crucial information that proved useful to Fury and the remaining facets of SHIELD, but none that yielded any further information on Bucky or his potential whereabouts. Not since finding his dog-tags in Vancouver. The trail of clues they'd begun following since last May had resulted in many a dead-end for Steve, but as disheartening as it could be at times, he wasn't giving up on his friend. Not after they'd come so far; not after assuring Kim that he'd never give up on her great-uncle. Not after proving that somewhere deep down, there was a part of the old Bucky who'd managed to break through, and managed to _remember_ who he was.

No; there was no giving up on him.

Coming down the last few steps, Steve rounded the metal railing and crossed the vast foyer of the main floor, his steady footsteps echoing off the high walls. He hardly paid mind to the paintings, sculptures, and boxes of precious artifacts lining his path on either side. Many of the larger works had been draped with white sheets for protection, a convincing façade, considering every piece in here was probably a fake. While he was no expert on art, common sense told him that museums were kept cold for a reason, and that was to maintain the integrity of the works they housed; storage vaults would have been no different. The inside of this building, however, was far too warm and humid for proper preservation to take place, which had immediately raised his suspicions when he and Sam first walked in.

On closer inspection, those suspicions had—once again—been proven right. Approaching the farthest corner of the foyer, a doorway gradually came into view, one that had been previously concealed by one of the larger painting set against the wall: a representation of what appeared to be Hades guarding the gates of the Underworld. How fitting.

Steve entered what turned out to be a well-equipped surveillance room, complete with multiple television screens, computer monitors, and other high-tech gadgetry that would make some of the engineers at NASA jealous. Whatever they were watching, it certainly had nothing to do with safeguarding art. "What have we got, Sam?"

From the chair he was sitting in, Sam Wilson angled his head toward him, but didn't quite look up from the data on the monitor in front of him. "So far, the files contain detailed blueprints and a list of codes for a SHIELD facility known as The Treehouse. As far as we can tell, it's one that's still under HYDRA's control, and looks like it's about twenty miles from downtown Columbus."

"Which I'm sure Nick will be eager to see as soon as this transfer is complete," the image of Natasha Romanoff spoke from the laptop Sam had set up on the desk. She was still sporting her softly curled red bob, and she casually brushed a stray tress away from her forehead. "Treehouse was a good strategic base for SHIELD, and it's one he'll definitely be interested in taking back. Those blueprints will come in handy if he wants to make any plans for a counteroffensive."

Steve nodded. "Right. Make sure we get all of that saved, too," he said to Sam.

"On it," Sam had already pulled out a silver flash drive and inserted the device into one of the USB ports.

"And the e-mails you found on their server?"

"Ask and ye shall receive," Sam mused. "Should have an exact location on an IP address once Nat's done working her magic."

"Hey, now, that kind of flattery will get you far, Sam," one corner of her mouth lifted in a subtle smirk. "Very far."

"Is that right?" He grinned, leaning back in his chair. "'Cause say the word, and I'll keep right on talking."

Steve could hardly suppress a smirk of his own as they continued on. He'd come to rather enjoy the comfortable banter that had developed between those two. Not only did it have the ability to make the most stressful of situations seem bearable, but it was also reassuring to know how well they worked together during instances like this. Plus, with all that had taken place recently, he had a feeling that Natasha appreciated the distraction more than she would ever let on.

After a moment, he asked, "Same thing we've been running into, Nat?"

"Oh yeah: HYDRA and their fondness for multiple AI routers yet again," Natasha said. "Got me doing another elaborate dance with a series of encryption codes, and in five different languages, no less. By now, you'd think they would just make it easier for us to track them down, you know?" She didn't even try disguising the irony in her voice.

Steve gave a humorless laugh. "You'd think."

"Not to worry, though. There was one thing they never counted on when they set out to cover their tracks."

"And what's that?"

"Me."

He smiled inwardly. Steve was glad they could defer to her expertise whenever they came across intricate computer systems such as this. Part of the difficulty they'd run into was the fact that HYDRA's entire digital network could not be accessed from just one location. During their rise within SHIELD, they had scattered much of their encrypted data to various safe houses around the world, which meant they would have to hunt down each cell in order to access the information harbored within them. Thankfully, Natasha had a few tricks up her sleeve, and while she couldn't identify every HYDRA hideaway out there, she could use the frequency of e-mails sent from each facility to track down the IP addresses of where they ought to look next.

Only several more seconds passed before Natasha announced, "And without further ado, gentlemen, behold," she said as an inserted image popped up on the screen next to her, "next on your to-do list."

Steve and Sam both leaned in close, Steve's eyes scanning what appeared to be a small-scale road map bearing a location marker. As soon as he recognized the series of intersections and landmarks on display, he felt his heart briefly flutter.

"Well, what d'ya know," Sam muttered first, sitting back again, "back to D.C. we go."

Back to D.C., his mind echoed, and though he knew this meant their work was far from over... "You got an exact location for these coordinates?"

" _Ideal Federal Savings Bank_ in the heart of downtown," she reported, "on the corner of 14th and New York Avenue. The building itself has been abandoned for about ten years, but this IP was active as recently as the end of last April. Looks like it'll be another one worth checking into."

Nodding slowly, Steve exhaled quietly as he straightened up. "Thanks, Nat."

"Anytime, Cap. I just wish it could be more."

"I know."

"Anything else you guys need from me?"

"Plate of sushi and a bottle of warm saké?" Sam mentioned, making her lips twitch into a smile.

Steve grinned, shaking his head. "At this time, no. Just be sure to get those files to Nick, and if anything pertinent comes up before we leave, we'll be sure to be in touch."

"You got it. You watch your backs out there, okay?"

"We will. See you soon."

"I'll be here." With that, Natasha ended the transmission on her end, her image disappearing from the laptop screen.

After a moment of quiet, Sam turned in his chair to face him, an eyebrow arched in a knowing manner.  “So, what’ll it be first?  Checking out the bank, or stopping in to see your girl?”

Steve smiled gently.  By now, Sam had heard enough stories about Kim to know that he’d take any opportunity to see her if he was anywhere near the vicinity of D.C.  “Not exactly ‘my girl.’”

“I know, but it’s cute to watch you blush,” Sam teased, reaching over to remove the flash drive from the port. 

“Thanks a lot,” he said humorously, accepting the silver device from him.  “But no: let’s head back to New York and touch base with Tony first.  I want to see how things are progressing at the new facility before we plan a course of action, but I wouldn’t mind seeing if we could get out there by the end of the week.”

Sam gave a nod.  “You gonna give her a heads-up to let her know you’re coming?”

He thought about that for a moment, and as much as he wanted to hear her voice when he told her of his upcoming plans, his mind recalled the elation that had been in her eyes when he’d suddenly shown up on that somber day last July…

“No,” he said softly, looking over at Sam.  “No.  This one I’d like to keep a surprise this time.  Might make up for me missing out on her birthday…” 


	3. Author's Note, Dec. 9, 2017

_**A/N:** My readers, though I am still working on the next chapter for this story, I decided I am going to put this one on pause for the time being. This is because I've had some ideas-in terms of further character development-that have been bugging me for quite some time. Specifically, some ideas that involve the evolving relationship between Bucky and Emma._

_That being said, I've decided that I want to go back and write an additional installment for Mercury Saga that takes place between "A Winter's Tale" and "Into the Light, " a series of supplementary installments I am going to refer to as the "Mercury Interludes," Yes, I do have plans to make more than one of these installments. :) The way I see it, this will allow me to fill in some gaps without trying to cram everything into the next big story, which will be taking a decidedly darker turn as I keep going. It'll be a good chance for me to add in a touch of fluff/lightheartedness, and I think it's the right direction to take for some of these characters._

_Anyway, I will be posting just a teaser of what I have so far on "Mercury Interludes: A Soldier's Hope," and would love to hear what you guys think of it so far. I will continue to work on it this week, and hope to complete it by the end of the month. Thank you guys so much, and happy reading!_

**Author's Note:**

> Proklyat'ye! = God damn it!


End file.
